Deep sea fishing



Aug. 22, 1933. s. HILLER Er A1.

DEEP SEA FISHING Filed OCT.. 23, 1929 NM. 9N, Nk

Patented Aug. l22, 1933 UNIT-ED STATES DEEP SEA FISHING Stanley Hiller,

Berkeley, and Joseph J. oney; Alameda,Calif.

' nppiication october 2a, i929. siaiivaionsse 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for catching fish.- Y

.More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for catching fish by the so-called hydraulic method in which fish are drawn intoa boat with a volume'of water by a 1 pumpingaction.

The present invention pertains fishing and in especially adapted for rcatching sh adjacent the surface of the water in contradistinction to` bottom sea shingand is an improvement over methods and apparatus nowin use for catching sh inithis manner.

p Hydraulic fishing, as heretofore practiced, in volved the use of nets attached to vessels for capturing flsh in a school and required conduits coinmunicating with the nets and having suction means associated therewith for drawing water as well as the fish trapped in the nets onto or within the vessel.

It is known by those experienced in the art of deep sea fishing that fish are very sensitive to the approach of a boat or vessel`due probably to the water pressure caused by the approaching vessel, as well as the separating effect produced by the bow of the ship moving through the water. In thel methods and apparatus heretotfore employed for catching fish the movement `of the vessel into proximity to` a school of fishy-hada tend.

ency to scare the fish due to thepressure inr the water in advance ,of a vessel together with the parting movement of the water `effected by the movement of the-prow of the vessel through the water. Y

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for catching fish which comprises the association with a vessel-of means for drawing the fish vinto the vessel from points characterized by anY absence of unusual pressure within the water in advance of the `vessel due to its Ymovement through thewater.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of catching fish, which comprises drawing the sh into a vessel under va rate of l'suction i equaling or slightlyexceeding -theforward movement normally imparted to the water by movement of the vessel therethrough whereby the fish are not `warned of the'` approaching :vessel and are drawn toward instead of forced away from the approaching vessel'.

A still further object of the inventionV is to pro.-

vide apparatus for catching fish comprising- I to deepsea water" 'effectedfby the movement f of the Y vessel therethrough; means on the vesselifor separating the jf'shA accordingto sizeyand otherfmeans Vfor conveying' the smaller or" bait sh into proximity to the prow" of said vessel Afor attracting"y the fish within reachjof suctiontrapping means.

Astill further object of the invention is to provideamethod of hydraulicfshing comprising-the trappingof fish in means adjacent the prow-"of a moving vessel; drawing quantities `of water with said trapped sh into said vessel under suction suflicientfto'offset the movement of the -water caused by the movement of *the Vessel therethrough; separating' the fishA according to dilerent sizes, `returning the bait sized fish into proximityA to saidtrappirig rjnea'ns,` and returning the smallest fish'with `the water d rawn intolsaid vessel through the sides of -sai'd vessel.

V'W ith the `above objectsinview aswell as others thatwillbecomev apparent during the course of improvedl apparatus associated there- 'Referring to the drawing byV reference characters whereinlike characters designate like parts, 11 designates in its entirety a conventional type of boat or vessel.

The vessel 11 adjacent the bow thereof is provided witli a frame12, which is preferably disposedr upon adeck portion 1-3 'in front of and above the main deck 14 as illustrated. The frame 12 may be'of any suitable' construction but preferably comprises vertically disposed members VIV15, the opposite' lateral pairs of which are interconnected at the tops thereofbyhorizontalniembers 16, and which with members 16 are braced by intersecting members 1'7. The oppositemembers'v16 are connected adjacent the outerends of members l5,by transversely disposed members 18 which rigidly connect the opposite ends of the frame, and which, as indicated in Figure 1,"project a substantial distance beyondme'rnbers 16 with the opposite ends thereof projecting "substantiallybeyond opposite' sides of vessel- 11 in longitudinaljalinement. j

Suitably secured to each end Vof vtransverse ioo 7 veyors 41A and fall onto second conveyor's47 dis-Y 5 members 18 andl depending therefrom is a pulley block 19 having a pulley 21 rotatably journaled therein.

Adjustably supported at each side of vessel 11 in transverse alinement with frame 12 is a steel truss member 22, each of which is provided with a pair of pulley blocks l23 having pulleys 24` rotatably journaled therein and disposed relative to pulleys 21 for the operative engagement of atruss supporting and lifting cable 25. Each cable 25 has one end thereof secured toone of the pulley blocks 19 and is continuously trained over right hand pulleys 24 and 21, viewing Figure 2,v and left pulleys 24 and 21,with the free end thereof suitably secured to the vessel for maintaining truss member 22 in fixed position relative to frame 12, whereby either truss member22 may be raised or loweredv relative to frame 12 by pulling upon or relaxing cable 25.

Suitably secured to each truss member 22 as indicated at 26 and 27 isa funnel shaped member 28 and suction pipe or hose 29 having one end thereof secured to and communicating with the smaller endof funnel shaped member 28. Each of the suction pipes 29 at the rear end thereof is provided withanelbow 31 having avswivel corinection 32 with the outer end of a pump pipe section 33 which end extends through the adja.

sufficient volume to offset Aor slightly exceed the rate of movement ofthe water rin advance of the vessel caused by'movement thereof vfor a fixed rate of speed of the vesselthereby eliminating the otherwisepresent movement of the waterrin advance of the vessel lwhich warnsthe fish of the approach'` ofthe vessel vresulting'in their fleeing from within range Yofthe funnel shaped members 28.

, While fish are sensitiveto movements'fof the water, such as caused 'bythe approach of a vessel and which is overcome by the present construction inthe manner above Aset forth, fish are attracted toward Va bright light and in'order to make the, present construction more effective a search light 37 is adjustably mounted on the forward. transverse member 18 substantially above each funnel shaped member 28 for throwing a light ontoY the 'water in advance of'each funnel shaped member 28 to attract-the fish into position'to be sucked in said members. Each of the pumps 34, as indicated in Figure 2,

Yhas 'the discharge end 38 thereof projecting upwardlyiat a substantial angle and has fthe discharge en d 39 thereof disposed in proximity to the lower en d'of an inclined conveyor 41,l which is'constructedof a large mesh endless band 42 movable overv lower driven roller 43 and an upper idler roller 44. The water with the fishimmersed therein'is discharged from outlets 38' of pumps 34 onto conveyors 41 andthe water and smaller fish pass through the heavy meshbands 42,r while the larger fish are carried upwardly by the conveyors 4l and discharged ontoA chutes 46 which are angularly disposed and guide the fish from conve'yors .41` o'nt'o the deck 14. The smaller fish pass through the heavy mesh bands 42 of. con-I posed inwardly of and parallelfto conveyors 41 and in closely spaced relation thereto. Each conveyor 47 comprises a smaller mesh band 48 passf ing around a lower drive roller 49 and an upper idler roller 51. The fish which pass through bands 42, with the exception of the very small fish, are conveyed by conveyors 47 and discharged into receptacles 52 von deck 14 arranged beneath the upper ends of conveyors 47. The very small fish'which pass through the mesh bands 4S together with the total volume of water discharged from pumps 34 enter receptacles 53 provided with tubular outlet members 54 extending through the respectivev sides of vessel 11 for discharging the water and very small fish into the body of water vin which the vessel is sailing.

Thel idler rollers 44'Y and 51 are supported on transverse shafts 55v and 56 respectively whose opposite ends are supported in vertical uprights 57 suitably secured adjacent the inner ends thereof to the sides of vessel '11. and-the chutes 46 are supported from'upri'ghts 57 by means of bars` 58. The drive rollers' 43 and 49 for conveyors 41 and 47v are secured to transverse shafts 59 and 61 which are driven in any suitable manner such as by a motor 62 as illustrated in Figure l the driving shaft 63- of which is provided with a sprocket pinion having driving connection with a sprocket wheel on shaft 61 by' means of a sprocket cha-in 6 4. `Rctative movement of shaft 61 is imparted to shaft 59 by means of a sprocket chain 65 operatively engaged with sprocket wheels on shafts 59 and 61, the sprocket wheels onV shafts 59 and 61 being of like diameter wl'ierebyboth shafts V59 and 61 will rotate at the same' speed thus imparting uniform movements to conveyors 41 and 47. f

Eachof the receptacles 52 adjacent the base thereof is provided with an yangular pipe section 67 provided with a valve 68 with one leg of se"- tion 67 extending through the adjacent side of vessel 11. A conduit 69 extends along each side of vessel 1l into proximity to truss member 22 and has a. swivel`connection at the' rear end` thereof with pipe section 67 as indicated at 71 with the forward end thereof disposed above and Vprojecting slightlyforwardly of the front end of the vrespective funnel shaped member 28. .Each of the conduits 63 rests in a pair of saddles 72 secured lto the respective truss member 22 for a purpose later'` referred to.

The smaller fish which are used as bait are discharged from conveyors 47V into receptacles 52 from which they are dischargedthrough conduits 69 into thewater in advance of funnel shaped members 23 forluring the fish into the path 'of sai'dfunnel shaped members upon opening of valvesGS andas it may not be necessary to'convey all'of the bait fish from receptacles 52, and, as it is desirable to keep the bait fish alive, the

receptacles 52 are maintained to a predetermined 1 Vlevel with fresh water which is effected in any suitable manner but preferably by a pump 74 suitably mounted on deck 14 and provided with an inlet pipe'connecticn 75 through one side of vessel 11 and discharging through a'joint pipe connection 76 into both receptacles 52 adjacent the top thereof, the pump 74 being driven by a suitablepcwer unit 77. Each of the receptacles 52is provided with an overflow connection 78 whereby thewater pumped thereinto by pumps A fish with funnel Vshapedl members 28 and suciA Yifszaosao tion pipes-29 elevated bymeans vof cables.25,".when

`not in -fish catching operation, or Vwhen ythe vessel' is moving seaward and itis desired to have the apparatus in complete,inoperativeness. Due to thesliding connection of `conduits'69finfsaddles 72 carried byl truss members y22, the conduits will be zelevatedwith the funnel shaped /members'and suction pipes.

When the fishing zonefis reached, thepfunnel shaped members "28 and Vsuctionpipes Y29 will be lowered by means of cables to the postion indicated in Figure 12, inwhich it will be seen that the members 28'are preferably of such configuration that in operative position the upper sides thereof are .substantially parallel with the water surface and the remaining side surfaces gradually incline outwardly to provide a relatively wide mouth for trapping large quantities of fish. It will be seen that as truss members 22 are lowered with members 28 and 29, that conduits 69 will lower by gravity therewith to the operative position indicated in Figure 2. y

With the members 28, 29 and 69 in operative position as indicated, the motors are set into operation and the Vessel 11 steered through the water at a substantially uniform fixed rate of speed and the pumps 34 operated by motors 35 are of such capacity that water will be sucked into funnel shaped members 28 at a sufficient rate and in sufficient volumes to neutralize the action of the water in advance of or adjacent the prow of vessel 1l in order not to cause a fish Warning disturbance in the water by the Wave action set up in the water due to the movement of the vessel therein. The suction into members 28 is preferably such as to not only neutralize the disturbance of the water Vcaused by movement of the vessel therethrough but provides a slight Inovement of the water toward the members 28 at a fixed uniform movement of vessel 11 in order that when a school of fish is encountered they will be infiuenced toward members 28 in the absence of the usual warning of the approaching vessel caused by the movement of the water in advance of the vessel.

The water with the immersed fish is discharged onto the lower ends of the conveyors 4l, which, with conveyors 47, are moved at a constant or uniform speed by motor 62 and the larger sized fish or those desired for use are carried upwardly on conveyors 41 and discharged onto chutes 46 from which they slide onto deck 14. The water with the small and very small sized fish pass through the relatively large mesh belts 42 of conveyors 4l onto the conveyors 47 which hold and move the fishof bait size upwardly and deposit them in receptacles 52 from which bait fish are discharged through conduits 69 upon opening valves 68 during fishing operations for attracting fish to the mouths of members 28.

The water and very small fish pass through the small mesh belts 48 of conveyors 47 into receptacles 53 from which the water with the iml mersed very small fish are discharged through -i outlet'members 54.

During fishing operations, the pump 74 is in operation by means of motor 77 for keeping receptacles 52 supplied with fresh water for the bait fish therein, and to maintain a constant head of water in said receptacle causing a uniform flow of water and bait fish from said receptacles.

' The search lights 37 are focused onto the water in advance of members 28 especially at night time for further luring the fish into the path of the forwardly moving members 28.

The'conduits 69 may if desired be inthe form of fiumesand the various mechanical constructions may :be embodied `in other forms than those specifically disclosed within the range of the scope of the claims `appended-hereto. y Se claims appended hereto.

.jacent one'fendand adapted at the opposite end toadischarge onto conveyor 41. The section'8l isfprovided with Aa nozzle 82 in communication with a pipe section 83 connected Vto a'centrifugal pump similar to pump 34. A:90

The restricted opening 84 of nozzle 82 communicates with a throat 85 in a tapered pipe section 86 adjacent nozzle 82 whereby a swift current is effected as indicated by the arrows at said throat for effectively forcing the water into the 95 vessel through suction pipe 29 with which pipe section 81 is adapted to be connected. Pipe section 81A may be provided with a hand-hole 87 for providing ready access to the nozzle 82.

While we have disclosed but -a single specific 1 9() embodiment of our invention it is to be understood that such specific disclosure is merely illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the terms of the subjoined claims rather than by the foregoing specific dsclosure.

What we claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:-

1. A method of catching fish, which comprises forcing a volume of water and entrained fish into a moving vessel; seperating the fish with respect to different sizes thereof; discharging bait sized fish into the water atthe forward end of said vessel and in front of the entrance of the water and fish; and discharging the water forced into 11,5 said vessel with the very small fish into the body of water in which said vessel is sailing.

2. A method of hydraulic fishing comprising the following steps; moving a Vessel into proximity to a school of fish; forcing a volume of 1.20 water from the zone of said school of fish into said vessel;l collecting the larger fish drawn in with said volume of water; conveying and dis- Y charging the smaller chumming or bait fish into the water at the forward end of said vessel and in front of the entrance of the water and fish; and discharging the volume of water to the body of water in which said vessel is sailing.

3. The method of fishing which consists in drawing the fish together with the water in which they are entrained in a vessel in move ment, sorting the fish, and conveying and discharging the fish of bait'size to a point at which said fish will lure larger fish toward the point from which the fish and water are drawn into said vessel.

4. In a method of catching fish by use ofY a ves sel moving through a body of water, the step of discharging the smaller or chumming fish forced into the moving vessel to Vsuch a position with respect to the vessel that they will serve as bait fish to lure the larger fish desired into the entrance in the vessel.

5. In a method of catching fish, the steps of entraining a body of water containing fish of various sizes, separating out the smaller fish from the larger fish, and then discharging the smaller fish in front of the entrance for the body of water where they will serve as bait or lure fish to catch other larger fish.

6. Apparatus for hydraulic fishing comprising, in combination with a vessel having an opening adjacent the forward end thereof, a substantially funnel-shaped member arranged to be immersed in the water and communicating at its smaller end with the opening, suction means for forcing volumes of Water and fish into said funnel-shaped member and into the vessel through said opening, means for collecting and separating the sh relative to size entrained in the water and forced into said vessel .byV said suction means, and means for discharging'bat-sizedfish forward of and adjacent the 'opening of said funnel-shaped member.

7. Fishing apparatus for a vessel comprising a funnel-shaped member disposed adjacent the bow of the vessel and opening into said Vessel,

STANLEY HILLER. JOSEPH S. CONEY. 

